The invention relates to a test method and a corresponding test system, in particular for the mass spectroscopy of biomolecules, in accordance with the preamble of the independent claims.
It is known from SPANGENBERG, Tim; ABEL, Bernd: “Laser-angeregte Mikrofilamente für extreme Lichtquellen und Biomolekülanalytik”, Photonik June 2004 that so-called micro liquid jets are used for the mass spectroscopic analysis of large biopolymers, organic molecules and ions. The samples to be analyzed (e.g., biopolymers) are dissolved in water as carrier liquid, and the carrier liquid with the sample dissolved in it is injected through a micronozzle into a vacuum so that a stable micro liquid jet forms in the vacuum that has a jet diameter in a range of 5-100 μm and a jet speed of 30-100 m/s. Then, molecules are desorbed from this micro liquid jet by irradiation with pulsed, adjustable infrared laser light and subsequently analyzed by mass spectroscopy. This laser-induced desorption of sample molecules from the micro liquid jet advantageously makes a very gentle release of the sample molecules possible.
These known test methods have the following disadvantages: On the one hand the relatively high consumption of sample substance, since the sample substance contained in the micro liquid jet is not desorbed between the successive laser impulses and therefore remains unused. The yield of the sample substance can be increased here at the most by increasing the impulse rate of the laser, which, however, is only possible to a limited extent.
On the other hand, the initially described, known test method only makes it possible to analyze a single sample substance that is dissolved in the carrier liquid of the micro liquid jet. In order to analyze another sample substance, the carrier liquid with the old sample substance must first be replaced, which means an enormous effort. The initially described, known test method therefore does not make possible a high throughput mass analysis of a plurality of samples.
It is therefore an object of the invention to improve the initially described, known test method and the associated test system in an appropriate manner.